I'm a Bunny
by Roxy-chan-12
Summary: Jack didn't know much about rabbits, that is, not until he started spending more time with Bunnymund... and learning the hard way. -A series of Oneshots- *Rated T just in case**JackRabbit*
1. Chapter 1

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I don't own Rise of the Guardians… hell, I don't even own a pet rabbit… don't press charges e _ e**

**A/N: I don't know why I had to do this… I was researching and **_**Slaycinder**_** dropped this idea in my head, so I thought why , and although none you probably read my other chapter story, _The Little Ningyo__,_ (it's a Kingdom Hearts fic so... *cough*) I'm just confirming a temporary hiatus from that. **

**Warning you all, I am **_**not **_**Australian… I'm trying my best ; _ ; I'm not trying to offend anyone so don't hurt me, please.**

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 1: Don't Sneak Up on Me!

_Fact: _

_As prey animals, rabbits are alert creatures that are easily startled._

~o~O~o~

The Warren was unusually peaceful; the temperate breeze rolled lazily over the lush dips, hills, and cliffs of the valley, gently bending the unkempt grass with the wind and the clear ponds that freckled the face of the Warren were still and quiet. Underneath a vibrant magenta canopy of cherry blossoms laid a content heap of slate gray fur. Bunnymund dozed silently, savoring the rare calm of simple detachment. This alone time was once very frequent for the Pooka; it was the dead-zone between Easter seasons. The other Guardians had year-round work—Sandy and Tooth had nightly work, which was on more of a twenty-four hour schedule considering time zones, and North regulated toy manufacturing while keeping tabs on children's behavior immediately beginning on the 26th—but Bunnymund was lucky, once Easter was over, he was let free to relax until crunch-time the couple weeks leading up to the next Egg Hunt.

But then Jack Frost joined the Guardians.

No, Bunnymund didn't _hate_ Jack, but the winter sprite's favorite pastime seemed to be pestering the living hell out of him every opportunity he got. The Pooka had found his free time being violently kicked from his reach by the three-hundred-year-old teenager on a regular basis by means of merciless cold fronts and bizarre snow-storms in isolated areas of the Warren. Though bothersome, Jack's pranks had recently softened to more harmless mischief rather than destructive mayhem; however, because of past Jack-related catastrophes and, perhaps more culpably, buried primal instincts, Bunnymund stayed highly aware even during midday naps. He kept his sensitive ears erect and alert, letting them twitch every which way, picking up the slightest crack of a twig or rustle of leaves. Unfortunately, the occasional gust of spring wind wouldn't count as a sign that something was amiss.

Regrettably, Jack knew that Bunnymund wouldn't expect an aerial greeting and it didn't help that the newer Guardian was very adept at sneaking around, so when a slightly cooler breeze passed by, the Pooka barely flinched.

"What's up cottontail?" The amused voice caught Bunnymund off guard and caused him to jerk awake, jolting up into a sitting position and darting his eyes around nervously, his breathing erratic. He eased back on his elbows when he met entertained bondi blue eyes.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd show up, Jackie boy." Bunnymund teased once he'd gotten his nerves under control. Jack situated himself on the downy grass in front of the Pooka with his legs crossed and grinned, happily accepting the fond nickname.

"Has anyone ever told you how much fun it is to scare you?" Jack chuckled, setting his staff across his lap.

"Heh. Watch it, Ice Block, ya sneak up on me like that again and ya just might scare me stiff." Leaning forward, Bunnymund ruffled Jack's already mussed up snow-white hair, receiving a jokingly defiant, but still understanding scoff.

~o~O~o~

_Bonus Fact: _

_Rabbits can be scared to death… literally. _

…_But not Bunnymund._

…_Because he's a BAMF._

…

_Slay was here. :P_

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**A/N: I did my best… *cries* **

**How was it for my first RotG fanfiction? Good? Bad? You wanted to stab at your eyes with thumb tacks repeatedly it was so incredibly awful? I appreciate feedback.**

**By the way, Slay (Slaycinder) is my sister who frequently commandeers my computer... don't mind her e _ e**

**Review for a half-eaten Christmas cookie**

**Flame and I will sick the Yetis on you e _ o**

**~Roxy~ **


	2. Chapter 2

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: If you had a dime for everything I own, you'd be dead broke and I would still be empty handed… ; _ ;**

**A/N: Okay… this is a lot more popular than I had expected o _ oU I hope you all know this is a series of slightly related oneshots and it's not going to have some super awesome, well-developed plotline OTL I have a different idea for that which I may or may not actually act on depending on where I am when I finish this one and my other chappy fic. **

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 2: Chompers

_Fact:  
A rabbit's teeth never stop growing._

"Tooth is gonna _kill_ you."

Alright, maybe that was true—maybe the Tooth Fairy _would_ give Bunnymund a mouthful for his blatant negligence regarding his teeth, but he didn't have time to worry about his orthodontic hygiene so close to Easter; however, now that the important holiday was over, the Pooka had no good excuse for his overgrown incisors. It really wasn't that severe, but if Jack noticed it, then maybe it was time he reestablished his habits surrounding his dental care.

"Why are you even here, Ice Block?"

Frankly, Bunnymund _knew_ why the winter spirit was there; so he could intrude on the Pooka's peace, shattering it without remorse, but it was always entertaining to hear Jack's side of the story.

"What's with the attitude?" Jack asked, mocking offence before jumping at Bunnymund's back from his perch on a nearby rock that sat low to the ground, latching his arms around the elder guardian's shoulders and burying his face in the fur that covered the crook of Bunnymund's neck while keeping himself aloft on the gentle spring breeze that always blew through the Warren. "Am I not allowed to visit?"

"'Visit'? You always give me heaps when you 'visit'."

"Oh yeah, I come here to do that too." Jack let go of Bunnymund, dropping to his feet and leisurely meandering back to the stout boulder he'd previously occupied so he could retrieve his abandoned staff from its place propped against it. "_But_ today, I'm here to bother you about something important."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do about your teeth?" the snow imp dug the bottom of his staff into the soft ground, leaning on it casually and staring up at Bunnymund. His question went unanswered for a few solid moments, leaving an awkward gap of silence that caused Jack to shift his feet, growing impatient with the Pooka deliberately ignoring him. The younger guardian sighed in exasperation, trying desperately to draw Bunnymund's attention back to his question. He jumped a bit when he actually got a reaction; something he hadn't honestly expected.

"You really wanna know, mate?"

Jack nodded, yanking his staff from the ground while Bunnymund knelt down in front of a nearby log half covered in dartmouth green moss and riddled with tiny jonquil buttercups. Dark brown eyebrows drew down, knitting together in confusion as the Pooka snapped a chunk of bare bark from the side of the fallen tree.

"I don't get it. Bunny, what are you—Ew! That is _disgusting_! Are you _eating_ that piece of tree bark?"

Indeed he was. Bunnymund had taken the hunk of tree and was currently gnawing on it using his front teeth. He shrugged, momentarily removing his natural tooth-file.

"'Ey, you're the one who wanted to know how I'd get my chompers under control."

Jack just watched Bunnymund nibble on the bark, gradually sizing his teeth down and back to normal.

_Bonus Fact:  
Wild rabbits nibble on bark or twigs to keep their teeth short._

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**A/N: yay! Chapter 2! I'm really having fun with this fanfiction and I'm happy there are so many people who seem to enjoy it too. Stay tuned for Chapter 3! Not much else to say.**

**As always, Reviews are appreciated and will be rewarded with (half-eaten) Christmas Cookies, but flames will be greeted with angry Yetis and sacks that they will then shove you in and subsequently toss you violently through a portal to Antarctica. :D **

**Until next time, my pretties!**

**~Roxy~**


	3. Chapter 3

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I still don't own anything… except my dignity—oh wait… never mind**

**A/N: Yay! I'm back! And I broke 1,000 views! Wow… with two chapters up. You guys are awesome!**

**I've been struggling to keep up with reviews so to all my reviewers who didn't get a cookie from me who reviewed **_**Chapter 2: Chompers**_**, here's that cookie! :D**

**I've gotten a couple guest reviews that I'll be replying to in the end author note. Enough yammering, on to the story!**

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 3: Odd Behavior

_Fact:  
Courtship behavior involves licking, sniffing, and following the doe… Or in this case, Jack._

Bunnymund had been acting a bit…odd. It hadn't taken Jack long to notice the Pooka's strange behavior; not that it was a _bad _thing, per se, but any sudden change in Bunnymund's typically level-headed temperament was reason enough for raised concern. Normally, when Jack visited the Warren uninvited, he would get nothing more than some curt form of acknowledgement, but lately Bunnymund had developed the habit of leaving his warren so he could drop-in on the younger guardian. That wasn't normal—something _had_ to be wrong, Jack just couldn't put his finger on _what_ was wrong. Currently, he was exercising the theory that Bunnymund was suffering some sort of falling-out with another guardian and then, seeking the company he'd lost, he came to Jack.

No.

That sounded stupid. Why would Bunnymund come to _Jack_? On the other hand, it was the most logical conclusion he'd come to so far, so he stuck with it—maybe the older guardian had landed on bad terms with North. It made sense, the two of them always fought over which of their holidays was superior and maybe someone went too far; it was bound to happen, North and Bunnymund did congregate to discuss pressing world matters and exchange man-gossip over god-knows-what often enough.

Jack sighed, knocking the back of his head against the trunk of the tree he was sitting in and dropping his legs to dangle on either side of the branch he was perched on. Mindlessly drumming his fingers on his staff, he shut his eyes, continuing to mull over the conundrum that was Bunnymund's unexpected behavioral shift.

"Oi, Snowflake, what're ya up to, mate?"

Speak of the furry, buck-tooth devil.

"'Snowflake'? That's a new one." Jack dropped down from his branch, landing square in front of Bunnymund. The Pooka shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just thought it was time for a change."

Jack leaned forward, laying most of his body weight on his staff.

"Speaking of change, I have something I'd like to talk to you about—let's take a walk." The snow imp turned on his heel, leisurely strolling away and urging Bunnymund to follow with a lazy wave of his free hand.

~oOo~

"So, what's eatin' at ya, Jackie-boy?"

Jack had led them through the dense forest, winding through tall trees of varying thicknesses, over frail twigs that quietly snapped beneath their feet, and into a quaint, natural clearing deep in the heart of the woods. He'd said it was his sanctuary, the place he came to for silence since Burgess expanded to encompass his lake.

There was a heavy silence as Jack took a seat on a lone log against the edge of the glade and set an intense, fixed stare on Bunnymund. He took a deep breath; frankly building up the moment more than was necessary.

"What's wrong, Bunny?" the winter spirit finally asked, relaxing his posture.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? You've been acting strange and I want to know why."

"Strange, huh? What've I done that's strange?" Bunnymund hopped forward until he was only a foot away from Jack at which point he settled back on his hind legs and crossed his arms.

"Well, you never really hung around me before, but now you're going out of your way to see me. How is that not weird?" damn, that had sounded better in his head. Gripping his staff, Jack averted his bondi blue eyes, glancing around in deliberate avoidance.

"So, it's a crime for me to lob in sometimes?" huffing, Bunnymund stood and brought his foot up about an inch off the stiff, frosty ground in a move to open a rabbit hole. "Then I s'pose there's no reason for me to stay, is there?"

Once wandering blue eyes snapped up to meet unreadable forest green ones. Jack's spine went rigid—something it wasn't typically known to do—and he stamped the butt of his staff on the ground beside him, causing a shock of ice to bolt the short distance it took to threaten the incasing of Bunnymund's lifted foot.

"Don't tap that foot!" Jack warned, the slightest pleading tone slipping into his voice which he immediately cursed himself for. "I…" He eased back into a slouch. "That came out wrong. I meant it was just a sudden change and I was concerned."

Bunnymund slowly set his still elevated foot down, a subtle, sly grin gradually inching onto his face.

"Aw, little bastard was worried about me."

"So? Don't read too much into it, cottontail." Jack said in the most blasé way he could with frost creeping onto his cheeks.

"Don't need to, Snowflake, your face says it all."

"Really? What does it say?"

"That ya've got a pretty little soft spot for me."

With frost spreading to his neck, Jack crossed his arms, trying the best he could to keep his cool—something that would be very ironic for him to lose, but, _damn_—when did Bunnymund's face get so close to his? The young, flustered guardian chuckled dryly, gathering what little composure he had left.

"C'mon Cottontail, you know there's nothing 'soft' about me; I'm as solid as ice."

"Yeah," the Pooka smirked, "but ice'as gotta melt, Jackie-boy."

"What's that supposed to—Bunny?"

"Hm?"

"What was that?"

Bunnymund had nudged his head forward, the soft fur of his cheek caressing Jack's, but downy fur wasn't the only thing the winter spirit had felt; there had been a quick dab of something damp. Jack clutched his staff with one hand and set the other on the Pooka's shoulder.

There it was again.

It was the slightest flick against his cheek—light enough to leave behind an itchy tingle. The sensation caused an airy chortle to push its way up Jack's throat; he gritted his teeth together in an attempt to smother the full-on laughter he felt coming from the pit of his stomach.

It failed miserably.

"B-Bunny, th-that tick…les! A-are you lick…ing me?" Jack struggled for coherence between his hysterical bouts of laughter, gasping for air whenever he could. Bunnymund didn't verbally respond, instead he darted his tongue back out and rapidly brushed it over the giddy snow imp's temple. "Hey," Jack cleared his throat and after a few last escaping giggles, continued, "so, is this your way of asking me out?"

Bunnymund pulled back so they were face-to-face again and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh… yeah." The Pooka stood up straight, but lowered his head to keep his eyes on Jack. "So, whatta ya say, Snowflake?"

The younger guardian caught a lift on a passing breeze so he was level with Bunnymund, using the crook of his staff to hook the Pooka's neck and, tugging him closer, Jack pressed his cold lips against Bunnymund's nose confidently. When he withdrew from the contact, he received a genuinely puzzled expression, complete with a cocked brow and confused frown.

"What was that?"

The corners of Jack's mouth curled into his usual cocky simper.

"A yes."

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**A/N: Sorry, guys, no bonus fact this time. There was nothing that tied into this chapter and like hell I was gonna rewrite this whole chapter just to make room for one.**

**Now, about those guest reviews! :D**

_**Avatar Aang**__**: love this fanfic xx**_

****Thank you! (Love your guest username, by the way) Here's your cookie! *hands you a cookie***

_**Guest**__**: Lol…I did not get it at first but than read it… Smiles…**_

****Aw, thank you. It's nice to know my story makes people smile. *gives you a cookie***

**Keep the reviews coming! They are very much loved and appreciated! Each one will be rewarded with a (slightly soggy) half-eaten Christmas cookie, but be warned—if you flame my story, I will sick the Yetis on you and god knows what sorts of hell they'll put you through :I**

**Until next time!**

**~Roxy~**


	4. Chapter 4

**[DISCLAIMERS]: Ever since my dignity left me, I've been alone and sad—and what's worse, I still don't own anything! D:**

**A/N: MARCH 12****TH****! *cough* sorry… I'm just so excited for RotG to come out on Blu-ray. u It's already on pre-order. Besides that, I'm going to respond to **_**Guest **_**reviews at the end of this chapter as I did last chapter! **

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 4: Let Me Brush Your Fur

_Fact:  
While rabbits are self-groomers, they might also need their owner's  
assistance._

North had a _lot_ of books.

Jack had been mindlessly perusing several shelves of said books on a slow day, scanning the dusty spines when he stumbled across and interesting title.

_Rabbits as Pets Vol. IV: Grooming_

Now, Jack wasn't sure where the other three volumes were as they weren't on the shelf he was standing in front of, but he'd have to save that pursuit for another day. He slipped the thin, faded green book from its place wedged between _Ice Carving for Dummies_ and _50 Shades of Red and Green_ ("Wow. I didn't know North was into Yuletide Erotica… interesting."). The winter spirit carefully propped his staff against the wine red armchair in the corner before seating himself, cross-legged, on the cushy piece of furniture and leafing through the book he'd plucked from the others. Once he'd given the bunny-manual a quick look-over, Jack turned to the table of contents—something he probably should have done first.

"Let's see… Introduction: What You'll Need." Jack muttered, running his finger along the dotted line from the title of the chapter to the page number it began.

"Hey, North! Do you have a medium or soft-bristled brush, flea comb, nail clippers, cotton swabs, a mat splitter, and antibacterial ointment?" Jack busted through the tall oak doors that led to the older guardian's warmly lit office, balancing the open book in his left hand and clutching his staff in his right.

North jumped in his seat at the sudden intrusion and looked up from his half-checked list. "Jack!"

"So, can you help me out?" Jack lifted his eyes from the page he had read the list off of.

"Why are you needing those things?"

"Is that a 'no'?"

"What? I just asked why you nee—"

"Aw, well that's a shame. Hey, can I use that bag, then? I need to make a pit-stop at the store and that stuff won't all fit in my pocket."

North nodded, confused, while the excited snow imp hurriedly stuffed _Rabbits as Pets Vol. IV_ into the faux leather satchel he'd snatched off a nearby hook on the wall.

"I still do not—"

"Thanks Santa!"

"Jack!"

_BANG!_

Jack bolted out of the small room eagerly, slamming the heavy door behind him, cutting North off.

That was a successful trip to the pet store.

Jack had been able to slip into the establishment right before closing, grabbing what he needed from the _Small Mammalian Pets_ section of the store and sleeping the rest of the night curled up in the largest dog bed he could find until nine o' clock the next morning when they re-opened and he made his hasty escape out the sliding glass doors.

Now, he was leisurely strolling through the unkempt grass of the Warren in search of a certain guardian of hope, having a particularly difficult time locating Bunnymund. Even after climbing over all the boulders, looking around every tree, and crawling through every crawl-through-able log, Jack still hadn't seen head or tails of the Pooka and he was quickly growing frustrated.

"Dammit, Cottontail! Where the fuck _are _you!?"

"'Ey, watch your mouth, Frostbite."

Jack whirled around, Bunnymund's voice startling him.

"Hey, what happened to 'Snowflake'?"

"Cute pet-names are reserved for blokes who know how to control their bloody language." The older guardian raised a furry brow at the satchel strapped around Jack's torso. "So what's in that bag, Jackie-boy?"

The corners of the winter spirit's lips curled into an unsettlingly devious smirk—an expression that always spelled out trouble.

"I thought I could help you out, Bunny."

Yup. Definitely trouble.

"How do ya mea—"

Bunnymund couldn't finish his question before falling prey to Jack's enthusiastic pounce that caught him off guard and sent them both tumbling to the ground. While Bunnymund recovered from the fall, the young guardian currently straddling his waist dumped the contents of the leather satchel out onto the patch of grass beside them and fished the grooming book from the heap of supplies. Jack fervently flipped through the pages until he reached the first chapter.

"Chapter 1: the First Steps," he started, scanning the page and reading aloud. "'Before you touch any of the tools listed in the Introduction, you need to check/feel your bunny from head to toe (this includes the feet, nails, teeth, and private area) looking for possible trouble spots such as bumps or fleas.'" Jack chuckled darkly after finishing the chunk of text, closing the book and setting it out of the way; he lifted his now free hands and turned back to the newly petrified Pooka. "I am gonna groom you so hard, Bunny." He cooed, already running his hands down Bunnymund's chest all the while taking note of any abnormalities like he was supposed to, so what if he had a little fun along the way.

"S-Snowflake?" Bunnymund croaked as Jack's hands continued roaming without hesitation. "What're ya doin'?"

Jack halted his examination and lifted his eyes to meet flustered jade green ones.

"I told you, I'm grooming you."

"I can do that just fine on my own!"

"Yeah, but I can do it _better_. Seriously, look at these mats." The snow imp stroked Bunnymund's stomach, drawing attention to the knotted clumps of fur there. Looking back up, Jack chortled airily at the semi-terrified face he was getting from the Pooka. "Relax, Bunny. I'm practically an expert on rabbit grooming now—I've read a book."

"_That's_ encouraging."

Jack reached behind him for the soft-bristled brush and mat splitter, taking one in each hand and brandishing them before leaning his face close to Bunnymund's, causing the older guardian to swallow hard.

"I said, _relax_."

After the grooming session was over and done with, Bunnymund had come to the decision that Jack was never allowed near those tools ever again. Not because the winter spirit had done a bad job—on the contrary, he'd been very thorough and Bunnymund was pretty sure he hadn't been so well-groomed in a _long_ time—no, Jack wasn't forbidden from grooming him for lack of skill, he was forbidden because somewhere along the lines, it had turned into more of an opportunity for Jack to _seduce _him rather than clean him, even if Bunnymund had been able to effectively stop the younger guardian's advances.

"So, how was it, Cottontail?" said seducer was finishing repacking all of the odds-and-ends he'd brought with him. Bunnymund scowled at the question, eyeing the bag that Jack was closing and without a word, hopped over and seized the brown satchel; straightening up, the Pooka hurled the bag of grooming tools as far as he could and into a shallow pond. Jack stared up at Bunnymund.

"Bunny."

"Yeah?"

"That bag was North's."

"Eh, I'll get it later." Bunnymund turned around and hopped a few feet until he was in the comfortable shade of a fairly low tree. Jack followed after him, retrieving his staff from its place on the ground on his way.

"Hey, Bunny?"

"Mm?"

"Why'd you stop me? I thought you liked me." The evident hurt in Jack's voice caused Bunnymund to wince—somewhere in the back of his mind, the Pooka knew this conversation would come up sooner or later.

"Of course I like ya, Snowflake." Bunnymund set a paw on top of Jack's head, ruffling his stark white hair fondly. "I jus' don't want to rush this."

The younger guardian nodded slowly, though his mouth was still set in a frown.

"Does this mean I'm not allowed to groom you anymore?"

"Yes."

"What if I _just_ brush your fur?"

"…Fine."

_Bonus Fact:  
Brushing your bunny's coat can be a very pleasant_

_experience for the both of you!_

_Plus, it reduces the amount of loose hair._

_But seducing your pet rabbit is not advisable._

…

_At all._

…_._

_Unless you're Jack._

_Then it's highly recommended._

_Kukuku~_

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** A/N: yay! Chapter four! So, that was fun! Chapter five will be up shortly, so don't be impatient because I know some people on here can be _ **

**Guest Reviews from Chapter 3:**

_**Guest:**__** Hahaha! These are great!**_

***Aw, thank you! Here's a cookie for your review! *cookie***

_**Avatar Aang:**__** Thanks for the cookie yum…:) still love this story xx**_

***No problem! Here's another cookie!*cookie* (I shall make all my readers virtual-fat muahaha) thank you!**

_**Rubypearl:**__** Ohhhhhh this is so cute thanks for the chapter! Have a nice day**_

***Awww, you're welcome! There are many more to come! C: here's a cookie *cookie* you have a wonderful day too!**

_**Guest:**__** Awwww how cutee! 3**_

***Thank you! Here's a cookie for reviewing! *cookie* :D**

**As always, reviews are loved and will be rewarded with a half-eaten Christmas cookie! However, flames will be met with the wrath of the Yetis, I can't promise your survival.**

**Well… it's 3:00 am… I'm gonna go sleep now kthnxbai!**

**~Roxy~**


	5. Chapter 5

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: No, I don't own diddly-poop. I can admit that fact. **

**A/N: Why did this chapter take so much research!? Gr! It took a long time to get enough prior knowledge to write this and have it be accurate. I hope you're all happy…*cough***

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 5: You Sure it's Not Contagious?

_Fact:  
A common disease in rabbits is called "snuffles"  
and is easily treated with the right care  
…So, does this mean Jack gets to play nurse?_

Jack was bored.

The Warren was practically barren.

This was a problem.

The winter spirit had dropped in to lovingly pester Bunnymund, but had been greeted by an eerie silence. Even the sweet spring breeze had died, leaving a very empty atmosphere in its wake and a very confused Jack standing in the damp sand of the retreating waves of air. He walked cautiously through the tall, lush grass that blanketed the Warren; it was creepy, there was definitely something _wrong_, he just couldn't quite peg _what_.

"Hey Cottontail, you around?" Jack held his breath, straining his ears while waiting for a reply; he nearly jumped out of his skin when his question was met by a quick half-sneeze coming from a large burrow dug into the side of a nearby cliff. The young guardian rushed to the rounded entrance and ducked his head in, narrowing his eyes to see in the low light; he scanned the space until his gaze landed on an amorphous heap of slate gray fur curled up in the corner on a flat, low-sitting rock. "Uh, Bunny? Is that you?"

The fur mound groaned and stirred in its place on the rock.

"What are you doing in here? It's already noon." Jack stepped forward into the dim room and lit the wick of a nearby gas lamp, twisting the metal knob on the side to adjust the flame. "So, what's wro—woah, you don't look so good." He lowered himself into a relaxed crouch beside Bunnymund. In the lamplight, it was pretty clear the Pooka wasn't one hundred percent; he glared at Jack from behind a cracked, bloodshot eye that's typically vibrant jade hue had been dulled by exhaustion and the rest of his face was buried in his crossed arms. "Are you sick?"

"Nah, I'm chuckin' a sickie—of _course_ I'm sick, ya nong. Now rack-off so I can get s'more shut-eye." Bunnymund sneezed again, providing punctuation for his sentence.

"Was I supposed to understand that?—never mind, I'm going to nurse you back to health and there's nothing you can say or do to stop me." Jack stood, his arms folded across his chest triumphantly. "So, how do we start?"

"I dunno, _you're _the nurse, not me, Frosty." Bunnymund grumbled sarcastically, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"What—I'm not a _nurse_."

"Well, ya sure ain't a quack." The Pooka's voice grew hoarser from the grating vibration of speaking against his raw throat.

"You're right, I'm not a duck." Jack chuckled, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be teasing the older guardian when he was sick. "Heh, sorry Cottontail. I'll just start with your temperature, okay?"

"Do ya even know how to look for my temperature?"

"Uh… no." the winter spirit admitted, grinning sheepishly; man, he really wasn't very good at this nursing thing. Bunnymund gave a weak, sympathetic smile, Jack really was trying his best and even though it didn't do anything to pacify his throbbing headache, the sentiment did count for something—the Pooka wouldn't admit to those thoughts, however, he had far too much pride to do that.

"The ears." One of Bunnymund's folded back ears twitched slightly. Jack set his staff against the back wall to free his hands and sat cross-legged at the Pooka's side, reaching forward to take the ear closest to him. He pressed the back of his hand to the skin on the inside of the sensitive body part, quickly retracting it with his bondi blue eyes wide with shock.

"Well, you're definitely feverish. Are you warm enough? I could get some blankets—" He moved to get up but was stopped by an outstretched paw on his shoulder.

"That wouldn't help; I'll have a bloody _heat stroke_." Bunnymund rasped, dropping his arm and pulling it back in against his body.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Jack eased back again, slumping his posture, completely unsure of where to go from there.

"I just need to cool down. I'm sure you'll come up with somethin'."

The younger guardian frowned, knitting his eyebrows together in a contemplative manner. After a moment or two of silence, Jack looked back up at Bunnymund who'd long since set his head back in his arms.

"Hey Bunny, is what you have contagious?"

Without opening his eyes, the Pooka grunted a quiet "not to you", digging his face further behind his forearms so he could retreat from the bright lamplight.

"Good."

Bunnymund furrowed his eyebrows; why was that good? With a flick of his wrist, Jack sent an icy wisp of air to put the lantern out and crawled onto the low sitting rock, worming his way up against the elder guardian's chest and situating himself snugly there.

"Snowflake?" Bunnymund glanced down at the snow imp now occupying his arms, not putting forth any effort to get rid of him because Jack's naturally frigid body temperature acted very efficiently to lower the Pooka's abnormally high one.

"Hey, is this helping at all?"

Bunnymund nuzzled the top of Jack's head tiredly, letting out another tiny sneeze.

"Yeah."

…

"Bunny?"

"Mm?"

"You _sure_ it's not contagious?"

_Bonus Fact:  
Don't worry, Jack, it's not.  
Snuffles (Pasteurella) is a bacterial infection  
that cannot be passed from rabbits to humans._

_Bonus Fact (2):  
Rabbits, unlike humans, need to stay cool when  
feverish or they risk having a heat stroke.  
And Jack thought his low body  
temperature was a curse.  
Silly Jack._

* * *

**A/N: yay! It's done! Sorry it took me over a week to update! D: I've just been in a bit of a writing funk, you know how it is. WOW! TWO BONUS FACTS?! I'm just chock-full of surprises, ain't I? After researching like, four bunny diseases, I can say I know more about terminal rabbits than I wanted to _ Anyway, here are the reviews from Chapter 4:**

_**ha:**__**I learned somethin to day!...Lmfao!**_

***I try, I try, haha. Y'know, they say you learn something new every day—a philosophy I follow. Here's a cookie for reviewing! *cookie***

_**Avatar Aang:**__**Hahahahaha xxxxx**_

***:D and much laughter was had that day! Here's another cookie, friend! *cookie***

_**Guest:**__** having a pet bunny befor I can say that brushing out their coat takes out the  
hair thats shedding. That helps because rabbits clean themselfs much like  
cats, but unlike cats they cannot caugh up any hairballs they might aquire.**_

***Interesting. I'm so proud of myself, I actually knew about most of that ; 3 ; thanks to my extensive research on bunnies ._. I have no life… hahaha… Here's that cookie you were promised *cookie***

_**FakeSmiles:**__**That was the most adorable thing ever!**_

***Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed reading! Here's a cookie :D *cookie***

_**Guest:**__** Oh emm gee! I got a cookie! YESS! lol :P**_

***And guess what? You get another! *cookie* :D Thank you for reviewing!**

_**Rubypearl:**__** Hell yeah I get cookies woo hoo! Thank you for another cute chapter  
(poor bunny I can only image his face) 8P can't wait to read more  
Have a nice day! **_

***Cookies for EVERYONE! (well… not **_**everyone**_**… only my valued reviewers like you and all my other reviewers.) *cookie* You're very welcome! And thank you! You have a nice day too :D**

_**Megan22:**__** hey love your story can't wait for the next chapter…i want a gaint bunny rabbit so i can hug him and squeeze him and call george. (brownie to you if can name were that came from!lol) hey you need a treat too ;p**_

***Thank you! And, how could I not get that reference? It's from Looney Tunes! I loved that growing up. Here's a cookie for reviewing and big kudos for making an awesome reference! *cookie***

**Thank you to all my reviewers, guest or not! You guys really keep my going with this story! **

**As always, reviews will be met with cookies (although a bit soggy and/or half eaten… sorry hehe…) But Flames will be met with angry Yetis! AND THEY WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND BURN YOUR INA-… you get the picture… don't flame. Just, **_**don't**_**.**

**~Roxy~**


	6. Chapter 6

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I don't own RotG so don't sue me please TT w TT**

**A/N: I'm back! Man, why was I gone for so looong. I was gone weekend before last so I couldn't write and before that I was working on my RotG Valentine's Day fic **_**Blame Cupid**_**. BUT, I'm back now and I know you all missed me so *kissy face* You all know the drill, I will answer Guest Reviews at the **_**end**_** of the chapter. ;D**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 6: Purring

_Fact:  
Rabbits, much like humans, have their own way of  
communicating affection; some of these ways include  
"purring", licking, bumping noses, and chinning._

Bunnymund's fur was soft…

Like, _really _soft and Jack took advantage of every chance he got to stroke that downy fur—of course including those windows of opportunity when he wasn't technically supposed to, but he did it anyway. Luckily, now was one of those times the young guardian had permission to bury his face in Bunnymund's chest like the child he pretended not to be. Cuddling the Pooka brought Jack a sense of security and belonging that he hadn't felt for god knows how long, but he would never admit that to anyone aside from himself.

Jack had spent the majority of his day wintering-up town after town through the U.S. and shutting down a string of schools through the Midwest; unfortunately, one school board was particularly stubborn and even after a full night of non-stop snow and ice, the winter spirit still only earned the kids a two hour delay, but hey, he tried his best. So after a long day of harboring contempt for modern snow day policies, Jack dropped in to blow off some mist and take out his aggression on Bunnymund who, in hindsight, didn't deserve it, though to his credit, he seemed very tolerant of the whole ordeal.

As the day began to wind down, so too did Jack's livid ranting. And as the sun dipped behind the rolling hills of the Warren, his usual impish simper found its way back onto his thin lips and his words softened to a playfully taunting prattle. The sun had completely vanished by the time the younger guardian made the decision to stay and now he lay curled up against Bunnymund in the humid confines of a burrow nestled deep in the heart of the Warren, proud of himself for how quickly he was able to convince the Pooka to let him spend the night. Jack raked his fingers through Bunnymund's slate fur, savoring the calming effect his actions had on both of them. No, he wasn't tired—on the contrary, he was wide awake, racking his brain for potential ways to get into the elder guardian's metaphorical pants.

Jack continued his mindless stroking until it morphed into more of a subconsciously pacifying motion—like a young child cradling a pet after a tantrum—as he was slowly lulled into a very light doze. He was only moments away from drifting into a surprisingly-quick-in-coming, but much needed sleep when a faint rolling chatter caught his unsuspecting ear.

"Bunny, is that you?"

The sound stopped. "Is what me?"

"There was this noise; it kind of sounded like a cat purring, but I'm pretty sure you don't _own_ a cat."

"No, ya derro. Why would I have a cat?"

"Well then what was making that noi—" Jack stopped, a very interesting possibility crossing his newly revived mind. "Were _you_ purring?!"

Bunnymund scoffed. "No, purring's 'n the throat—I was chatterin' my teeth."

"Is that a… _good_ thing?" Jack felt Bunnymund's arms tighten around him, pressing him closer to the Pooka's chest.

"Yeah. Now sleep, Frostbite."

Now it was Jack's turn to scoff. "Well, now I _can't _sleep. You've got me interested—what _other_ sounds can you make that humans can't?" the innuendo was unashamedly apparent, but that was the young guardian's intention. Jack's logic: if he pushed frequently enough, he could get Bunnymund to snap and give in—wait, that sounded wrong, but that was the point, he supposed.

Bunnymund sighed and set his chin on top of Jack's head.

"I know what you're gettin' at and my answer's still no."

What?! How could his answer still be _no_?

"Oh come _on_! What's it gonna take to break your resolve?"

"More than some persistent teenage hormones, that's for sure."

Jack groaned and fell limp in Bunnymund's arms, defeated. "I give up! It's never gonna happen." With his face tucked dejectedly between Bunnymund's chest and the ground, the disconsolate teen's words were muffled.

"Woah, I never said never, mate. Just be patient 's all I ask."

"How am I supposed to be patient so far into our relationship? You can't expect me to—what are you doing?" Jack lifted his head just enough to reveal his face, curious as to why Bunnymund had started practically nuzzling him from his original place on the crown of the snow imp's head all the way down to the crook of his neck.

"Hm, nothin'." the mocking humor in Bunnymund's voice struck a nerve in Jack and the young guardian tangled his fingers in the glossy fur he'd grown to love so much as a reaction to that apprehensive interest he now had regarding the Pooka's actions.

"Bunny, what did you do?" his grip tightened when Bunnymund gave a quiet, throaty chuckle.

"Nothin' bad." He set his head back atop Jack's and moved the paw that previously rested on the small of the winter spirit's back up to his neck. "Just think of it as a promise that ya won't have to wait too much longer."

And just like that, Jack's face was buried once again—this time to hide the faint layer of frost creeping onto his pale cheeks; though, in the darkness of the burrow, Bunnymund wouldn't have been able to see it any way, but why take the chance.

"Good_night_ Cottontail."

"Heh, g'night snowflake."

_Bonus Fact:  
__What Bunny just did was that thing I mentioned  
earlier called chinning.  
Chinning is something rabbits do to mark territory.  
Ooohh, territorial Bunny._

* * *

**A/N: Haha! I've been gone for so long and I didn't even post a worthy chapter—wait, that's not a good thing... oh well! My inspiration is back! That's all that matters! I got RotG on my iPod from iTunes on ALMOST TWO WEEK EARLY RELEASE! I've already watched it twice and I just got it! So yay! unfortunately, my free trial of Word expired so I had to write the last chunk of this chapter on on the edit thing ._. I'll buy it soon though. That's all for this chapter, sorry it wasn't my best chapter. ; A ; until next time~**

**OH, GUEST REVIEWS!**

_**Guest: Awww, they snuggle the sickness away :D**_

***Yes, snuggling is the best medicine :3... unless you have a terminal disease that's highly contagious .. then I wouldn't suggest that... I'd suggest a hospital... anyway, thanks for the review, here's a cookie :D *cookie***

_**Avatar Aang: Cute chapter , I bet rabbits sneezing is cute , can't wait for more x**_

..  
( )o

***Thank you~ Yes, rabbits sneezing is very cute * u * then again, I think just about any small animal sneezing is cute xD sorry it took so long to update. here's a cookie for another kind and wonderful review *cookie***

**As always, reviewers will be rewarded with cookies and flamers will be punished by the wrath of Bunny's boomerangs... and not in the fun metaphorical sense, either... in the painful, violent sense... *cough* **

**~Roxy~**


	7. Chapter 7

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Yay! Now I own RotG on DVD…. I still don't own the rights though, don't sue!**

**A/N: Ffff! It's been too long, I know! **(╥_╥)** I'm sorry! I had soooo much trouble with this chapter! I'm just sorry to keep you all waiting so here it is! Craptastic as it may be **°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

**I have a new Guest Reviews… thing… I will only be answering guest reviews with questions and/or things I just need to reply to because the end author note was getting a tad lengthy; however, all guest reviewers will get honorable mentions and cookies. (Sorry to those of you who don't give me guest names, you will only be labeled as "guest" . _ .) wow this Author Note is getting long. Normally HMs will be here, but this time, to get down to the story already, I'll put them at the end. Oh, and in advance I apologize to those of you I might have lost track of and didn't reply to. I'm usually a lot better about answering reviews *cries***

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Bet

_Fact:  
When frightened, a rabbit will  
grind their teeth together. _

After the whole fiasco with Pitch, North had taken it upon himself to begin scheduling meetings every couple months during which the five of them would gather at the Pole and assess global belief and identify any changes in the overall average—y'know, in case Pitch came back or a catastrophe of equal shit-storm-ery threatened the children.

Personally, Jack despised attending these meetings. Not because he didn't care about their topic—on the contrary, he cared very much about why the meetings were held—what he didn't like was being pulled away from what was technically his job, which he actually enjoyed, and forced into these mostly boring meetings that almost never went anywhere. That's right, they never went _anywhere_, because there was never a problem! Not to say there couldn't _be _one eventually, but that was what the Aurora Borealis signal was for.

So, Jack and the other three Guardians—excluding North, who had called them all in the first place—were scattered about the main hall that held the globe waiting for the very person who hosted the meetings who was running late. They all occupied their wait differently; for example, Tooth was flitting about, directing one or two of her fairies at a time as she always did during the meetings, Sandy was asleep, Bunnymund was keeping warm by the fireplace, and Jack sat on the floor, freezing any elves that dared come within staff-hitting length (not surprisingly, Jack froze many elves that day).

"I'm sorry I am late. Yetis were giving me hard time about the labor laws and their contracts." Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the doorway now occupied by the guardian of wonder. North laughed. "You are all looking like reindeer in headlight." He walked farther into the room, extending a warm greeting to the other four. "I am glad you could all make it, especially Tooth and Sandy who I know have very busy schedule."

Tooth shot North a quick smile and nod over her shoulder before sending three of her fairies to Singapore, and Sandy simply smiled up at the other guardian.

Jack stood, obviously a bit taken aback. "And I don't? Millions of kids are counting on me to get them a day off and _I _don't have help like you and Tooth do." He didn't mention Sandy because the shorter guardian also flew solo in his nightly task, so it would have been an empty argument. "And I sure as hell don't get most of the year off like Bunny does—lucky lagomorph." There was a beat of silence when the winter spirit finished his little outburst, no one seemed to question why Jack knew what "lagomorph" meant—well, except Bunnymund who just raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.

A firm, sure hand on Jack's shoulder forced him to look up at the guardian on the other end of said hand.

"Simmer down, Jack. You are right, I should not have excluded you."

Bunnymund, who had gone back to tending his still half-frozen feet, jerked his head up at North's voice and immediately noticed the physical contact between him and Jack—albeit just a friendly hand on the shoulder, but he still didn't like it.

"What are you waiting for, Bunny? We have very pressing matter to discuss."

Taking a deep breath, Bunnymund decided to ignore the out-of-place hand that North still had resting casually on Jack's shoulder blade. And, to make sure the other guardian's hands would be to himself for the meeting, Bunnymund settled on the other side of Jack before inconspicuously reaching behind the teen and batting North's hand away; this earned him a puzzled look from the latter which he also chose to ignore.

"Alright, so since—as of late—there haven't been any notable fluctuations in belief, we're going to discuss something a bit more local;" Tooth jumped into the role of conductor of the typically easygoing conference which, if North's face was anything to go by, wasn't supposed to happen, but it did and no one really made a move to stop her. She lowered her voice, her overall aura jumping from her usual chirpy, bright disposition to one of a much more severe nature causing the other four to glance uncomfortably at each other. Tooth leaned into the loosey-goosey circle. "Office. Romance." She darted her newly-intense fuchsia gaze across the way to settle on Jack and Bunnymund though it only stayed there for a barely noticeable split second—a speed that could only be accomplished by a half-hummingbird. "We've never really had to talk about intimate relationships in the workplace before, but now that we interact so much more I think it's time for a quick rundown of the 'rules' of dating co-workers."

Jack and Bunnymund visibly eased—good, she wasn't on to them. Not that they didn't want the others to know, they just didn't want the others to know _right now_. It was more of a "when the time is right" kind of thing. Their relief was short-lived, however, because Tooth only waited a moment before she continued her little lecture on in-work infatuation.

"I know I'm not the only one who's noticed a change in mood between some of our members, and I just wanted to lay down a couple ground rules."

Never mind, Tooth knew.

A thin coat of frost snuck its way onto Jack's cheeks and beside him he could hear the low gnashing of grinding teeth.

Bunny was grinding his teeth.

This wouldn't have worried Jack so much had it not been for the Pooka's face that paired the unsettling sound—Bunnymund looked _anxious_. Bunnymund didn't get _anxious_. The only other time he'd seen the older guardian like this was almost half a year before when they'd all been helping Tooth collect teeth and Abby woke up.

"Rule one; don't let any relationships interfere with your work; the children are counting on us to—Bunny stop grinding your teeth, it's horrible for the enamel." Tooth halted mid-sentence when she landed her first pointed look at the two suddenly antsy guardians across from her. "Huh? What's wrong with you two? You're both acting so squirrely."

"Well maybe it is because you are making it so formal." North suggested, tossing a glance at Sandy for some sort of confirmation. The short guardian nodded and a dream-sand bush formed over his head with a wisp circling it.

Tooth dropped her jaw in offended shock. "I am not beating around the bush! I just thought that having some official structure to these meetings could be a nice break from our usual disorganized discussions."

North countered with something, but Jack was too busy dipping his head and rubbing the back of his neck in both exasperation and embarrassment to catch what he said—this always happened, they would start the meeting off strong with a relevant topic, but it would all go to hell in a hand basket within the first fifteen minutes. He knew that if the time came when there was a serious threat they'd reign it in, but this was just ridiculous.

"Alright you two, what's this really about?" Bunnymund's voice butted in to the back-and-forth Tooth and North were having, drawing everyone's attention his direction. He'd gained back what little of his composure he'd lost before and was settled into a comfortable crouch eyeing the other two guardians with scrutinizing jade eyes.

Tooth, chuckling nervously, occupied herself with four of her fairies that had just returned from retrieving teeth, sending them off again and leaving North to deal with the hard part. He sighed and stepped in, setting a warm hand on both Bunnymund and Jack's shoulders respectively. North now closely resembled a father having an austere conversation with two out-of-line children.

North took a breath to speak but a subdued, erratic rumbling distracted him—well, it was subdued for a moment, but the longer North stood silent, the louder each angry grunt got.

"Bunny, is that you?" North seemed concerned when asking the question; he'd never heard Bunnymund growl. His worry was only exacerbated when he caught sight of the Pooka's hostile stance—ears folded back and a glint of foreign malice darkening his spring green eyes. "What is wro—ah!" North retracted both of his hands when Bunnymund gave an impulsive warning snap at the one resting on Jack's shoulder. Once North was back a safe couple feet, the Pooka stood upright and pulled a slightly confused Jack against him.

"What is this?" having fully recovered from the initial shock of being nipped at, North grinned causing Bunnymund to realize what his long muffled instincts had led him to do. He quickly went to push Jack away, but it was too late—there was no way the other three guardians could have overlooked his brief fit. He hid his face in his paws, silently cursing himself for the slip-up and next to him an equally mortified winter spirit dragged his hand down his own face, conveniently eclipsing a noticeable frost coating his cheeks.

"Heehee_hee_!" Tooth giggled elatedly and flitted over to North. "I win!" she chirped.

"Very well, Tooth, I am man of my word." North frowned. "I will give up cookies for one week."

"Hey guys?" Jack interjected, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.

"Hey! I thought we agreed on one _month_." Tooth trampled over the younger guardian's voice.

"That was unreasonable!" North defended, ignoring another of Jack's attempts to get their attention.

"No it wasn't! Cookies are sickeningly sugary—do you know what kind of damage that amount of sugar can do to your _teeth_?!"

"Hey, what the hell are you two talking about?!"

The pair of arguing guardians fell silent and whipped their heads around to face Jack who had lividly slammed the butt of his staff on the floor, a couple shocks of ice blooming in short radius of the impact spot on the floor.

"Jack, watch your language!" Tooth darted over to the angered snow imp, a stern motherly frown finding its way onto her face.

"Answer my question, Tooth."

"Well, a few months ago, North and I made a bet. _I_ said you and Bunny would get together on your own by the end of the year, but North said you would need a 'push in the right direction'." Tooth rolled her eyes as if North's half of the bet was entirely nonsensical.

"What makes you think we're together?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows, thinking it was a bit of a stretch to assume that kind of relationship based on only the episode during that meeting.

Tooth opened her mouth to elaborate but was cut off by North's hearty, though dryly humored, laugh that ended as abruptly as it had come.

"Of course you are."

Everyone paused a moment, feeling the slightest sense of déjà vu.

"…No, seriously. What would make you guys think that?"

"Belly."

"Woman's intuition."

As North and Tooth gave their reasons, Sandy nodded and an arrow pointing to North and Tooth formed in dream-sand above his head. They had been his influence on the topic and his nodding demonstrated his backing for their plausible premise.

Jack, now completely fed up with the whole ordeal (even if the other three guardians were right), yanked on Bunnymund's wrist.

"Bunny, open the tunnels, we're leaving."

"Fine, Mr. wife, I'll hop right on that." Though through a thick veil of sarcasm, Bunnymund, who also wanted to get out of the situation, tapped his foot on the floor, creating an entrance to the tunnels. He was the first to hop down the hole, closely followed by Jack before the gap in the floor closed.

Sandy, North, and Tooth all looked at each other, speechless. Tooth and North broke the silence with light chuckles and Sandy trembled with silent laughter.

Tooth was the first to compose herself, she let out one last fond titter.

"And they wonder why we think they're together."

_Bonus Fact:  
When rabbits are angry, they will  
nip and growl. This can also count if  
their territory/environment is  
threatened or imposed upon. _

_And apparently, when Jack is angry,  
he storms off like the moody teenager  
he is…_

* * *

**A/N: It's finally done! OH MY GOD! ; A ; over 2000 words! That's a personal best for this fic! I'm sorry for being gone so long! Luckily I didn't get a ton of guest reviews… at least I don't think I did. It's been so long *twitch* Thank you to ****lala land**** for reviewing multiple chapters, here's a cookie *cookie***

**As always, reviewers will be rewarded with cookies and flamers will be violently punished in some creative way that I'm too tired to think of right now at nearly midnight on a school night. - . – **

**~Roxy~**


End file.
